Four Generations Of Solid Service
Coghlin Electrical Contractors and Network Services • 100 Prescott St., Worcester Pictured, from left to right, are: Edwin “Ted” Coghlin and Susan Mailman.
(Family Business Honoree | Category: 200 or more full-time employees)
Thirty-two years ago, if you had asked Susan Mailman, then 18, if she expected to take over her father's business one day, she probably would have scoffed. After all, she was an independent, self-described rebel who moved out of her parents' house as soon as she became an adult.
But within a decade she had joined father Edwin "Ted" Coghlin's third-generation family business, and by 2000 she was running it. In 2003, she officially took over and now serves as president of Coghlin Electrical Contractors Inc. and Coghlin Network Services Inc. on Worcester's Prescott Street.
So what changed? Not much: As she put it, "I've got Birkenstocks, he's got a suit."
But even as different as she and her father are, over the years they've both come to realize that, deep down, they share the same values: commitment to hard work, dedication to the community, and respect for others.
"We've just done it with different styles," the 50-year-old Mailman said from her seat in the company's conference room overlooking Gateway Park.
FOURTH GENERATION IN CHARGE
Mailman's appointment in 2003 pulled back the curtain on the fourth generation in a 125-year-old business that has become an institution in Worcester — and became one of the rare instances of a father passing a business off to a daughter rather than a son.
Established in 1885 by Mailman's great-grandfather, J.P. Coghlin, the company was later taken over by his sons — Mailman's grandfather, Edwin "Ted" Sr., and great-uncle, John — and then by Ted Sr.'s sons, Mailman's father and her uncle James.
As the 77-year-old Coghlin said, "it took us four generations to figure out women were ..." he trailed off with a laugh, and Mailman finished, "allowed."
With roughly 230 employees, the company designs, installs, contracts, distributes, and supports electrical, telecommunication, security, audiovisual and networking systems for large projects within an 80-mile radius of Worcester. A union contractor, it's worked on the new downtown courthouse, Gateway Park, UMass Medical School and CitySquare, and has long-standing relationships with global companies such as Intel.
"It's a local, family-owned, 'this is our community' place to work," said Mailman, who received her master's in business administration from Northeastern University. "There's a very local, homegrown community aspect to it."
To that end, it's not hierarchical, she said — her door is always open, as is her father's. He serves as treasurer and makes frequent trips to the office.
And when he does? "We allow each other our space," Mailman explained of how they keep the expected family friction to a minimum. "He never asks me where I'm going, I never ask him where he's going. We don't intrude on each other's schedules."
Which, in both cases, are almost always filled: In addition to her duties in the business, Mailman is involved with various apprenticeship committees and electrical contracting industry boards, as well as the United Way and the YWCA.
DEEP COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
And anyone who's been in Worcester for long knows of her dad's contributions, most notably with the Boy Scouts Mohegan Council and Worcester Technical High School.
"I think it's part of their DNA," said David Forsberg, senior adviser and immediate past president of the Worcester Business Development Corp. "Frankly, they're everywhere. I can't think of an important cause or organization that at one stage or another hasn't had very active and important support from the Coghlin family."
"When they get involved, they really get involved. You can see them throughout the whole life of the city."
Mailman expressed a pride in this reputation built by her father and grandfather. "I like what this family name means in the city."
Coghlin, meanwhile, has enjoyed watching his daughter's progress.
"I'm extremely proud of the responsibility Susan has taken not only in running and operating a good family business, but in giving her time and talent to the betterment of the city," he said.
Mailman ssaid that success wouldn't have been possible without the solid base built upon by her father.
"He did a great job passing on the family business," she said. "He's always been there as a resource."n
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